Government’s policy implementation is ‘dololo’, Mandla Ndlovu tells Mpumalanga workers

Mpumalanga Premier Mandla Ndlovu has delivered a stinging assessment of government’s ability to turn policy into results, saying South Africa may have sound policies, but when it comes to implementation there is “dololo” (nothing).

Ndlovu made the unusually candid admission on Wednesday while welcoming delegates to the National Labour Relations Conference in Mbombela, Mpumalanga, where he questioned whether the state had sufficient capacity to deliver on promises made to citizens.

“I always listen to people who argue that the governing party, and even the Government of National Unity, have developed and enacted sound policies,” Ndlovu said.

“Indeed, our priorities are compelling and speak directly to the challenges facing our people. However, when it comes to implementation, to borrow the concept often used by Minister (Gwede) Mantashe, ‘dololo’. There is very little to show on the ground.”

His remarks put the spotlight on the gulf between government policy and implementation, with Ndlovu himself questioning whether the state was winning the battle to build the capacity needed to fulfil its constitutional obligations.

Policies mean little without implementation

Ndlovu said having good policies was important, but those policies were ultimately only as effective as the institutions and people entrusted with implementing them.

“Are we winning the battle to build the capacity of the state to effectively meet its constitutional obligations and deliver on the promises we make to our people?” he asked.

“A capable, ethical and responsive state is therefore not an option, it is a prerequisite for meaningful development.”

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The conference is being held under the theme “Building State Capacity Through the Professionalisation of the Labour Relations in the Public Sector”.

Ndlovu said the country’s labour relations framework had to operate against fiscal constraints, rapid technological disruption and pressure for inclusive economic growth.

He added that labour relations should help create institutional stability and high-performance governance while balancing the constitutional rights of workers and employers.

Mpumalanga claims progress

While acknowledging government’s broader implementation failures, Ndlovu maintained that Mpumalanga was attempting to close the gap between resolutions and action.

He pointed to the province’s Labour Summit Pledge involving Cosatu, Fedusa and Saftu, saying its resolutions had subsequently been formally adopted by the provincial structures of the Public Service Coordinating Bargaining Council.

“We have moved decisively past the era of signing declarations without implementation,” Ndlovu said.

According to the premier, provincial labour relations practitioners now meet quarterly to scrutinise grievance handling, misconduct management, dispute resolution and matters before the labour courts.

Every provincial department also has a joint management and labour structure chaired by its head of department.

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Ndlovu claimed these interventions had helped Mpumalanga maintain “total labour peace over the past year”, saying regular engagement between organised labour and management had shifted the province from crisis management towards conflict prevention.

Warning against hiding underperformers

Ndlovu also warned against using labour relations divisions as dumping grounds for officials who fail to perform elsewhere in government.

“The Labour Relations units must never be treated as an administrative refuge for underperformance,” he said.

Instead, he said, they should become custodians of institutional integrity, ethical conduct, discipline and public-sector productivity.

He pledged that the Mpumalanga government would enforce labour laws, protect vulnerable workers and promote innovation in provincial workplaces.

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